Diamond Nuclei on the Silicon Mirror Surface by Direct-CurrentGlow Discharge Chemical Vapor Deposition

A new method is proposed for generation of high density diamond nuclei in the dc glow discharge chemical vapor deposition. Application of dc negative valtage together with high methane content has been found to generate diamond nuclei as high as 10¹⁰/cm² on mirror-polished Si wafer. It has been indicated that carbon over-saturation, negative voltage and hydrogen play an important role in this new pretreatment process.